It seems they may have been inspired by a similar protest that took place in Amsterdam over the weekend, photos of which show men and women clad in Russian riot police uniforms at a gay-pride parade.

Ridus.ru

Demonstrators at Amsterdam's gay-pride rally dressed as Russian riot police as they float along in a boat.

The activists, representatives of the Dutch chapter of Amnesty International, held signs reading things like, "Too Gay" while they sailed along the river in a boat. Some of the uniforms were also supplemented with necklaces.

The pictures were met with mostly supportive comments, with people praising the effort to protest the anti-gay legislation, which stipulates fines for promoting homosexuality among minors.

One blogger, Andrei Malgin, noted that in addition to the anti-gay legislation getting publicity because of the protests, OMON, Russia's riot police, is also becoming an internationally recognized acronym.

In an office building in Russia's northern city of Petrozavodsk, chance encounters between representatives of the mayor's office and the local legislature who share the building are avoided at all costs.

Russian oil output fell to 10.65 million barrels per day (bpd) in July, down from 10.71 million bpd in June, falling from post-Soviet highs maintained since March, Energy Ministry data showed on Sunday.

Back in April, the hottest topic in the Russian media and blogosphere was the news that the controversial director Nikita Mikhalkov and his brother, the director Andrei Konchalovsky, had applied for government funding of nearly a billion rubles ($16.5 million) to open a fast food chain that would be a healthier Russian alternative to McDonald's.

Ukraine is facing a "hidden emergency" because of the government's failure to plan for nearly 1.4 million people uprooted by the war in the east, which has left many struggling to find shelter, charities say.

Russia's Labor Ministry plans to raise the retirement pension age for state officials to 65 from 60, according to a statement published Monday, as the government scrambles to cut spending amid a recession.